Abstract

This study investigates how Filipino university academics perceive and engage with the internationalization of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines. Drawing on a qualitative descriptive research design grounded in a decolonial lens, the study explores how global discourses of internationalization, often shaped by Western frameworks, are received, internalized, or contested by local academics. Data were gathered through an online open-ended questionnaire (n = 19) and follow-up semi-structured interviews (n = 5), analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Rather than treating participants’ responses as neutral, the study probed for underlying assumptions, silences, and contradictions that may reveal how colonial legacies continue to influence institutional and individual practices. The findings underscore the individual capital of Philippine Higher Education Institutions academics as a vital factor in internationalization, revealing that internationalization is not merely a response to globalization but also a site of epistemic negotiation. The study emphasizes the importance of a more critical and inclusive understanding of internationalization, one that values local knowledge and challenges the dominance of Western epistemologies. Lastly, this study contributes to the discourse on decolonizing HEI internationalization, emphasizing the need to move beyond Western-centric frameworks and acknowledge the agency of university academics in shaping a more inclusive and equitable internationalization process.